Updated: 24th September 2001

(These pages are updated early/end each month with revisions as news breaks - check-in here often)

PANEL TASTING - SEPTEMBER 2001

A Panel of: 6 Wine Professionals & 4 serious Consumers

Host Venue: Jus de Vie, 2nd level, Wheelock Place

The Theme: New Arrivals & Previews

The Wines

1. Steinbruch 2000, Bethany Wines, Barossa Valley

2. Marlborough Chardonnay 1999, Shingle Peak, New Zealand

3. Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2000, Villa Maria, New Zealand

4. Grenache 2000, Bethany Wines, Barossa Valley

5. Cellar Selection Cabernet Merlot 1999, Villa Maria, New Zealand

6. Dominio Espinal 1999, Bodegas Castano, Yecla, Spain

7. Dominio Espinal 1998, Bodegas Castano, Yecla, Spain

8. Hecula 1999, Bodegas Castano, Yecla, Spain

9. Mont de Toit, Kerder, South Africa

10. DULCE Monastrell 1999, Bodegas Castano, Yecla, Spain

 FOCUS
Bodegas Castano, Yecla DO, Spain

Those who know a little about Spain & her wines, would have heard of La Rioja, the wine royalty, and the better known regions of Jerez (for sherry), Ribera del Duero (Vega Sicilia), the Penedes (Torres wines) and recently the obscenely priced wines of Priorato.

Along the white sandy coast of  The Levant ("where the sun rises"), holidaymakers frolic throughout the year, enjoying the sunshine & warm waters of South-East Spain. They enjoy the abundance of luscious fruit, fresh vegetables & rice for paella, from the hinterland, with the 'catch of the day'. Here, too, is located the largest WINE seaport of Spain - Valencia. The export used to be bulk wine & wine used to 'beef up' lighter wines from other regions. Nowadays, these wines are making a name for themselves in their own right.

Among these distinctive wine regions is YECLA, on the high plateau, far & away, from the famous La Rioja wine region. This is the best example of a "ONE TOWN DENOMINACION de ORIGEN (DO)". The town of Yecla is the only urban settlement in this tiny but distinct wine region marked out of the greater winegrowing province of Murcia. The winery that fought for their distinctiveness is BODEGAS CASTANO. The family-owned winery, founded in 1972, continue to produce bulk wine, but from the best of the harvest from their own 300 hectares, they are now crafting distinctive wines with MONASTRELL (Mourvedre), sometimes blended with Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot, which are still 'experimental', here.

Recently, their wines 'came of age', when TWO of their wines were duly anointed by Mr. Robert Parker Jr. in his recent "The Wine Advocate". One scored 92-points, the other 90-points. However, one may be forgiven if they felt there was a typo in the USD prices quoted for these wines!

HappyVines.com did not need Robert Parker to tell us, when we first tasted their wines. We are pleased to introduce these exciting wines to Singapore. Decide which wine is the 92-pointer from our tasting notes! A small quantity is currently available for your drinking pleasure, exclusively, at Jus de Vie. More are due, in time for your year-end festive enjoyment.

1. Steinbruch 2000, Bethany Wines, Barossa Valley, South Australia ($29)
Distributor: Barossa International (http://www.happyvines.com/Barossa)
Available: Jus de Vie, 2nd level, Wheelock Place
Here is a wine for the beginner & those who enjoy a pleasant afternoon drink. Made from a blend of aromatic Riesling and provided with more body by Chardonnay, this wine is off-dry on the palate. On the nose, there are aromatic lemons, orange peel & honey. The palate do not disappoint with good sweetness that does not overpower. Orange peel & good floral flavours continue on the palate with just hints of acidity ending with a fairly short finish that demand another sip.
This wine will do well on its own or try with cold Thai spiced dishes e.g. Thai salads & crab-cakes.

2. Marlborough Chardonnay 1999, Shingle Peak, New Zealand ($35)
Distributor: Happy Vines Pte Ltd (http://www.happyvines.com)
Available: Online & selected specialist retail stores
This wine have the zingy characteristics that is typical Marlborough wines. The ripe fruit did not require the heavy make-up of oak to brighten it. A very light coloured wine with hints of stewed apricots, honey & lemons on the nose. One taster detected cedarwood. Honey lemons was pronounced on the palate with crisp acidity that mouthfilling & complete.
This wine is zippy enough to match fresh shellfish & not overpowering against creamy chicken dishes but will match well with local dishes with a good portion of spicy & chilli.

3. Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2000, Villa Maria, New Zealand ($33)
Distributor: Norscan Marketing.
Available: Good retail wine stores & quality hotel/restaurants.
A colourless wine, but the nose reveal a host of flavours. Elderflower, a typical Sauvignon Blanc aroma with almonds, guava & honey on a grassy patch of morning dew. The palate is all New Zealand - dry, sharp, crisp & lean. The wine fills the mouth completely in good balance between acid & sweetness of fruit. The finish was mid-length & pleasant.
Enjoy this with good creamy oysters or mussels in white wine sauce.

4. Grenache 2000, Bethany Wines, Barossa Valley, South Australia ($31)
Distributor: Barossa International (http://www.happyvines.com/Barossa)
Available: Direct/Online or in selected hotels/restaurants/country clubs. Not in retail stores.
A lightish red wine that is typical Grenache from a fairly cool climate. The nose revealed stewed prunes, plum, tarry rubber and very delicate mimosa. A very interesting combination here. The palate was spicy with hints of herb complexity that gave way to some drying but not aggressive tannins.
A multi-purpose red wine that should match an array of dishes without enhancing them. 
Take it along for a BBQ.

5. Cellar Selection Cabernet Merlot 1999, Villa Maria, New Zealand ($33)
Distributor: Norscan Marketing
Available: Specialist wine shops, hotels/restaurants.
Deep violet & dense in colour, this wine showed promise on the nose of dark spicy cherry & violets. On the palate, the peppery spiciness had the upper hand, with cherry flavours & liquorice at the end. A substantial wine that needs time to develop.

6. Dominio Espinal 1999, Bodegas Castano, Yecla-Spain ($25-estimated)
Distributor: Tasting sample only.
This wine was sparkling bright red in colour. On the nose, pleasant flavours of light cherry & raspberries was apparent. The palate was lightly spicy with some dustiness & hints of sweet fruit.
This is an everyday wine to go with plates of Spanish tapas before proceeding to the main meal. This wine is a blend of young Monastrell & Tempranillo with little oak ageing.

7. Dominio Espinal Seleccion 1998, Bodegas Castano, Yecla-Spain ($27-estimated)
Distributor: Tasting sample only. Soon with Happy Vines Pte Ltd
A more substantial blend of Monastrell, Tempranillo & Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine showed vibrant deep red in the glass. On the nose, the alcohol brought out dense ripe red berry fruits & leather. Hints of raspberries & prune blended with sandalwood & vanilla. The palate revealed a concoction of red cherry, fresh cinnamon, dried prunes & figs on a bed of softened tannins. The finish was complete & satisfying.
This is a wine that can handle exotic spices in dishes without harsh tannins to bring out the bitterness from them. You could even enjoy this with a good South Indian curry.

8. HECULA 1999, Bodegas Castano, Yecla-Spain ($30-estimated)
Distributor: Soon with Happy Vines Pte Ltd
Available: Strictly limited quantity at Jus de Vie, exclusively.
This is a special cuvee of Monastrell, Tempranillo & Merlot aged for six months in new American oak & bottled without filtration. The colour was pitch dark red almost inky. The nose was slow to develop, so we decided to do a quick decanting. This proved helpful, as the aromas of liquorice, toasted bread, blackberries & raspberries & prune emerged from the glass. This wine was not so much like a slap-in-the-face kind but surprisingly well balanced with flavours intermixing all the time. Tannins remained in the background against the onslaught of fruit & dusty spice.
A substantial red meat dish is called for with this wine.

9. Mont de Toit 1999, Kerder, South Africa ($45)
Distributor: Norscan Marketing
Available: newly arrived - ask for it at specialist retail stores.
The nose revealed intense cherry, blackcurrant with oak well integrated. The palate was a complexity of smoky oak, violets & cloves & good fruit in excellent balance.
One taster recommends enjoying this wine on-its-own without the distraction of food.

10. DULCE Monastrell 1999, Bodegas Castano, Yecla-Spain ($35/50cl)
Distributor: soon from Happy Vines Pte Ltd
Available: served at Jus de Vie Fortnightly Home Dinners on 21st Sept 2001
This is one of the few examples of red dessert wines available in Singapore. Made from late harvested Monastrell grapes, this wine showed dark brooding red in the glass. On the nose, as the wine warmed up, ripe blackcurrants & raspberries with bitter Valencia orange peel & a certain creaminess. The palate was decidedly sweet on the entry. The flavours of ripe, ripe fruit enveloped the mouth. The 16% alcohol lifted the flavours, somewhat, to avoid being too cloying. Tannins were hardly felt in this wine, which could be welcome at the back palate, together with some acidity.
This is for lovers of sweet wine. Simply pour over vanilla ice cream.

All these wines, except samples, are available ONLINE, till 10th October 2001

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